Okey Doke Ranch brings humans and animals together

View full sizeStaff photos by Tim HawkAbove, Cindy Strati poses on a wooden tractor (part of the playgound equipment) at Okey Doke Ranch in Clarksboro. Below, she rides one of the 13 horses in the ranch's indoor arena. Stalls on the sides of the arena contain the ranch's horses and ponies.

“Horses are a love in your heart — a passion inside of you — and it’s either there or it’s not.”

Cindy Strati and her sisters, Chris Saraceno, Victoria Mattia and Susan Burns, own a parcel of land on Timberland Road in Clarksboro which is now known as Okey Doke Ranch.

Previously, the land — full of pastures, corrals and riding trails — belonged to the girls’ father, Victor Maglio, who died in February from brain-injury complications associated with a horse accident that occurred in 2008.

“It was an accident,” Strati said of her father’s injury. “His horse knocked him over and it was just the way he fell. There was a lot of bleeding.”

But their father always dreamed of having a place where horse lovers could ride while children could enjoy the animals and learn to ride and care for the beautiful creatures themselves.

And so Cindy, Chrissy, Victoria and Susan created Okey Doke Ranch — a place where animals and humans can have fun together.

Parties held at the ranch last two-and-a-half hours and include pony rides, the moon bounce, pin the tail on the silly pony, potato sack races, hay rides, a petting zoo, character guests and pony painting.

“The kids love it and the ponies love it,” Strati said. “When they are finished, the ponies look like rainbows with little hand prints all over them.”

She said she uses washable, water-based paint that washes off the pony’s hide easily.

Petting zoo animals include the ponies, two donkeys named Jack and Jill, two llamas named Miri and Rosie, and a slew of accidental rabbits.

“I bought 10 bunnies at Easter hoping to give them away to the children,” Strati said. “I only gave away two and the rest have been multiplying.”

Weekend Playtime is held every Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and includes pony rides, moon bounce, playground, games and a character visit for $10 per child accompanied by a responsible adult. There is a 10-child limit for Weekend Playtime.

Horse owners can also board their horses at Okey Doke Ranch.

Currently, Okey Doke Ranch is gearing up for its Summer Riding Camps beginning in July.

During each week-long camp, young riders will learn safety around horses, basic horsemanship, daily riding lessons in small groups and horse grooming, along with playtime, animal interaction time and crafts.

Prior experience with horses is not necessary.

“We teach safety and how to care for a horse, and how to ride,” Strati said.

The sisters agree that June 22, 2008 — the date of their father’s injury — will always be a constant reminder that, although horses are fun, they are unpredictable.

Riders should always have respect for a horse’s size and for what a powerful animal it is, Strati said.

“Horses are a fun, exciting, challenging hobby, that also can be dangerous,” she said. “For this reason, we treat safety as a number one priority and fun as number two.”

Even after their father’s accident, the one thing he still loved and talked about everyday was his horses.

“The love that our dad had for his horses was unbelievable,” she said. “It kept him going and always brought a smile to his face when nothing else could. As incredible as it sounds, they loved him as much in return.”

Strati said her father’s funeral procession did not pass in front of his family home, but instead, it passed by the ranch.

“We were about a block away and the horses started going crazy,” she said. “When the hearse pulled in, the horses were lined up on either side of the lane. They all stood and looked down, as if paying their respects. It was amazing.”

If You Go: Okey Doke Ranch Summer Riding Camps will be held on July 11 to 14, 18 to 21 and 25 to 28, and Aug. 1 to 4, 8 to 11 and 15 to 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $225 for the week. Campers are asked to bring a lunch each day except for Thursday when lunch will be provided.

The Ranch is located at 150 Timberland Road in Clarksboro. For more information, call the Ranch at (856) 224-0195 or visit okeydokeranch.com.